Communication resources are typically limited in a wireless system, which restricts the throughput that can be achieved. The throughput is also affected by interference in the wireless system. From a users' as well as a network operators' point of view, as high data throughput as possible is of course desirable. Another consideration for high user satisfaction, and functioning of e.g. a sensor network comprising battery operated sensors, is battery life time of devices communicating wirelessly. To receive and transmit data requires processing and consumes battery power.
The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) develops and promotes voluntary Internet standards, in particular standards comprising the Internet protocol suite Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). For instance, for wireless systems achieving only rather low data rates and having requirements on energy efficiency, the IETF has developed methods for compressing headers of Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) under the generic name of IPv6 over Low Power Wireless Personal Area Networks (6LoWPAN). An application area contemplated for 6LoWPAN protocol comprises Internet of Things, e.g. environmental monitoring or smart grids comprising sensors communicating by means of 6LoWPAN IPv6.
The idea behind 6LoWPAN header compression is to exploit redundancies between IPv6 header information and underlying Layer 2 (L2) header of a wireless system, also called Media Access Control (MAC) headers. Existing standards explain in detail e.g. how to exploit the IEEE 802.15.4 MAC headers in order to compress IPv6 headers to a reasonable level while also containing all necessary information for the 6LoWPAN headers to be understood.